


misery business

by ambrosespellmanz



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, If you haven't seen 3x05 yet, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-23 22:30:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16627619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambrosespellmanz/pseuds/ambrosespellmanz
Summary: Josie leans against the locker next to Reggie, pushing the events of yesterday's news to the back of her mind.“How did talking to your dad go?”Reggie shrugs and replies without turning to look at her, “Like I said, there's no way my played some dumb game with some lame ass nerds.”Josie pauses, the corners of her lips turning downwards in a frown.There was something off about him.





	misery business

Josie leans against the locker next to Reggie, pushing the events of yesterday's news to the back of her mind. 

“How did talking to your dad go?”

Reggie shrugs and replies without turning to look at her, “Like I said, there's no way my played some dumb game with some lame ass nerds.”

Josie pauses, the corners of her lips turning downwards in a frown.

There was something off about him. 

She searches his face for any clue as to why that was.

He looks the same as he does on any other day…except for his sunglasses. Josie gets a sinking sensation in her stomach.

“Music room. Now.” 

She turns on her heel and starts walking in the direction of said room.

Reggie begrudgingly follows, closing his locker with a quiet groan.

Josie sets her bookbag on top of the piano, spinning around as she hears the door close.

Reggie stands by the door, waiting for her to say something.

“Are you okay?”

She cringes inwardly after asking. 

Reggie lowers his gaze to the floor, taking off his sunglasses slowly.

“Reg…” She reaches out, drawing her hand back as she flinches away from her touch. “Does your mom know?”

Reggie nods, sitting down in one of the wooden chairs with hunched shoulders, “She made it seem it like it was my fault–said if I didn't bring it up, he wouldn't have reacted the way he did.”

The door opens a split second later and Reggie slides his glasses back on.

Betty glances in between them, ponytail swinging, “Where's Kevin?”

“I think he's in the Blue & Gold room.” Josie answers.

Betty nods, “Okay. Can you guys come with me?”

Reggie chances at look at Josie then shrugs.

He had a feeling this wasn't the end of their conversation.

—

Reggie and Kevin continue to stare at her as they wait for an answer.

She can't lie and say she's not curious _especially_ after the way her mother blatantly lied to her face.

“Fine,” she gives in, “I'll play the stupid game.”

They talk more while finishing their smoothies. Kevin tells them everything he knows about the board game from the times he's previously played it.

“I've never seen the Gargoyle King though.” He adds as an afterthought.

Kevin leaves first after a getting a text from Moose.

Josie turns to Reggie once he's gone, “You can't go back home.”

He's not wearing his glasses so the bruise is visible to all.

“Where else am I supposed to go?”

“The place you usually go to: mine.” 

She knows they've grown a bit distant since they ended things between them over the summer but they were still friends at the end of the day.

“Just grab some clothes from your house and then come over. I'll leave my window cracked.”

“Thanks, Josie.”

“No problem. Oh, and don't forget to park your car at the end of the street.”

—

Josie tries to sneak pass her mom on the way to her room. She's unsurprisingly unsuccessful.

“I just heard the news. Archie Andrews escaped from Leopold. Please tell me that you didn't have anything to do with that.”

Josie smiles innocently and shakes her head, “I was at a Model UN meeting all day but stranger things have happened, right?”

If her mother wasn't going to tell the truth then neither was she.

Josie starts walking backwards to her room when it seems like her mom isn't going to say anything else.

“Good night, mom.”

She closes the door immediately after entering her bedroom, releasing a small breath.

Someone knocks on the window and she jumps, relaxing when she realizes it's Reggie. She had almost forgot he was coming over.

Josie heads over to the window and lifts it open, grabbing his gym bag as he pushes it through the window.

“Took you long enough.”

Josie shushes him, shutting her window and locking it.

She peeks outside her room to see if her mom was still in the living room or not before responding.

“My mom stopped me when I was coming in.” she explains to him.

“You don't think she knows, do you?”

Josie is sure her mom does but until she is ready to admit the other things she knows then she doesn't have anything to worry about besides the impending wedding.

“I think we're in the clear.”


End file.
